Dark Rye Sourdough with Sunflower Seeds
This dark rye sourdough is made from a mix of whole rye flour and bread flour. Soaked sunflower seeds are added to the dough for a nutty flavor and a moist crumb. Rye flour has less gluten than bread flour and makes this bread darker, denser and chewier than common wheat bread. Rye bread is rich in nutrients and has a distinct earthy flavor. It’s popular in German-speaking countries and Scandinavia. Dark rye bread is often used to make open-faced sandwiches or served with soups and stews.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
In the morning, make the leaven: Mix the sourdough starter and water and stir until the starter is almost fully dissolved. Add the flour and mix until fully incorporated. Let the leaven rise in a warm spot (26 – 28 °C) until doubled or tripled in size. In a warm environment, this should take between 4 – 6 hours. In colder temperatures, this might take a few additional hours.
Step 2
Once the leaven is active, prepare the main dough. In a mixing bowl, combine the leaven, water, and honey. Stir until the leaven is almost fully dissolved, and the liquid looks milky. Add the flours and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let it rest on the counter for about 1 hour. Meanwhile, soak the sunflower seeds in hot water and set aside.
Step 3
After the first rest, add the salt, soaked sunflower seeds and oil. Knead for a couple of minutes until well combined. Rye dough tends to be very sticky, so make sure to wet your hands before kneading. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 4 hours. The dough is ready to be shaped when it has visibly increased in size and contains lots of small air bubbles. If the dough still looks dense after 4 hours, it needs more time to rise and / or a warmer environment. Sourdough ferments best at temperatures between 25 – 28 °C.
Step 4
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Flatten it into a rectangle. The short side should be about the length of the loaf pan. Roll the dough up into a log and transfer it to the loaf pan with the seam side down. Lightly spray the surface with water and sprinkle it with sunflower seeds. Cover the loaf pan with a plastic bag and let the dough proof in the fridge overnight.
Step 5
The next morning, pre-heat the oven to 230° C. Bake the loaf with steam for the first 10 minutes. Then, open the oven door to vent the steam and continue baking for another 40-50 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 97° C. If the top browns too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10. Then, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing.
Sample Baking Schedule
Day 1
Day 2
More Sourdough Recipes You May Like:
Dark Rye Sourdough with Sunflower Seeds
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Tea towel or plastic bag
- Loaf pan – 25 cm / 9 inches
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For the leaven:
- 30 g Sourdough starter
- 30 g Water
- 60 g Bread flour
For the soaked sunflower seeds:
- 80 g Sunflower seeds
- 40 g Hot water
For the main dough:
- 100 g Active leaven
- 375 g Water – lukewarm, around 30° C.
- 15 g Honey
- 255 g Wholegrain rye flour
- 245 g Bread flour
- 12 g Fine sea salt
- 20 g Sunflower oil
- All of the soaked sunflower seeds
- Extra sunflower seeds to sprinkle on top of the bread – optional
Instructions
- In the morning, make the leaven: Mix the sourdough starter and water and stir until the starter is almost fully dissolved. Add the flour and mix until fully incorporated. Let the leaven rise in a warm spot (26 – 28 °C) until doubled or tripled in size. In a warm environment, this should take between 4 – 6 hours. In colder temperatures, this might take a few additional hours.
- Once the leaven is active, prepare the main dough. In a mixing bowl, combine the leaven, water, and honey. Stir until the leaven is almost fully dissolved, and the liquid looks milky. Add the flours and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let it rest on the counter for about 1 hour. Meanwhile, soak the sunflower seeds in hot water and set aside.
- After the first rest, add the salt, soaked sunflower seeds and oil. Knead for a couple of minutes until well combined. Rye dough tends to be very sticky, so make sure to wet your hands before kneading. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 4 hours. The dough is ready to be shaped when it has visibly increased in size and contains lots of small air bubbles. If the dough still looks dense after 4 hours, it needs more time to rise and / or a warmer environment. Sourdough ferments best at temperatures between 25 – 28 °C.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Flatten it into a rectangle. The short side should be about the length of the loaf pan. Roll the dough up into a log and transfer it to the loaf pan with the seam side down. Lightly spray the surface with water and sprinkle it with sunflower seeds. Cover the loaf pan with a plastic bag and let the dough proof in the fridge overnight.
- The next morning, pre-heat the oven to 230° C. Bake the loaf with steam for the first 10 minutes. Then, open the oven door to vent the steam and continue baking for another 40-50 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 97° C. If the top browns too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the loaf pan for about 10 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing.
Hi, very nice recipe!
I. see 2491 calories and I assume this is for more than a slice.
Please, 2491 calories corresponds to what weight?
Thank youl
Hi!I’m glad you like the recipe. The calories are calculated for the whole loaf of bread, not just one slice. Hope that helps!
Julia
Would you be able to translate your dark sourdough rye with Sunflower seeds recipe from metric to imperial?
Hi Shirley! I’m sorry, I’m not really familiar with imperial measurements. There are some free conversion calculators online. However, I’m not sure if those are accurate and if the conversions would yield the same results. In general, for baking bread, I highly recommend using metric measurements, as measuring ingredients by weight is more accurate than measuring by volume and guarantees consistent results.
Best,
Julia